KEA Village Administrative Officer Recruitment 2026

Basic eligibility paths

• ✓Apply against the Rest of Karnataka or Kalyana Karnataka process whose notification you meet; KEA runs the two as separate recruitments.
• ✓Confirm qualification, age, domicile and reservation conditions in the VAO-2026 detailed notification before paying the fee.

Relaxations & certificates

• SC/ST, OBC-NCL, PwBD and ex-servicemen relaxations follow the applicable notification.
• Always check the certificate format and cut-off date in the official notice.

Selection stages

1. 1Online application through the KEA recruitment portal
2. 2Written examination conducted by KEA
3. 3Remaining stages as set out in the VAO-2026 notification; no common schedule is published on the KEA announcement list

Syllabus snapshot

• Section 11 of the VAO-2026 detailed notification dated 10 Jul 2026 (Rest of Karnataka, published in Kannada) sets out the question papers and syllabus. Paper-1, ಸಾಮಾನ್ಯ ಜ್ಞಾನ (General Knowledge): 100 questions, 100 marks, 2 hours.
• Paper-1: (a) general-knowledge topics relating to current events; (b) topics of everyday observation; (c) topics giving a broad view of the Constitution of India
• Paper-1: (d) history of India, with particular reference to Karnataka; (e) geography of India as it relates to Karnataka
• Paper-1: (f) topics concerning State and regional administration; (g) topics on the development of Karnataka's economy, including sub-measures relating to rural development, Panchayat Raj institutions and rural cooperative institutions; (h) topics on Karnataka's environment-related problems and development
• Paper-2: 100 questions, 100 marks, 2 hours - (a) ಸಾಮಾನ್ಯ ಕನ್ನಡ (General Kannada); (b) ಸಾಮಾನ್ಯ ಇಂಗ್ಲಿಷ್ (General English); (c) ಕಂಪ್ಯೂಟರ್ ಜ್ಞಾನ (Computer Knowledge)
• Note under Section 11: securing a minimum of 35 per cent of the marks in the competitive examination is compulsory for a candidate to qualify; candidates who do not secure the minimum marks are ineligible for the selection process.
• Section 12, negative valuation: the competitive examination question paper is objective multiple-choice with four alternative answers to each question, of which the candidate must mark only one; one fourth of a mark, 0.25, is deducted for every wrong answer, and 0.25 is likewise deducted for each question where no option is shaded on the OMR answer sheet (a fifth option/circle is provided for candidates who do not wish to answer, and five extra minutes are given at the end to shade it).
• Section 9: the competitive examination is conducted in offline OMR mode. Section 8: Paper-1 on 04.10.2026 from 10.30 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. and Paper-2 on 04.10.2026 from 2.30 p.m. to 4.30 p.m.; the date of the Kannada language examination is to be announced later.
• Section 10, compulsory Kannada language examination: candidates who studied Kannada as a first or second language in the Karnataka Secondary Education Examination Board SSLC examination or an equivalent or higher examination recognised by the State Government, who studied in Kannada medium and passed such examinations, or who have already passed a compulsory Kannada language examination conducted by the Commission or any other Commission or authority, are exempted. Otherwise the paper is multiple-choice for a maximum of 150 marks, set at the SSLC first-language Kannada standard, in which a candidate must secure a minimum of 50 marks; candidates who are absent or who fail to secure 50 marks are ineligible for the selection process, and the marks obtained are not counted for seniority or for selection to the posts.